St. Landry democrat., 1887-11-26

| and spade NIL up this basin because Its slOp
is much less after 1t reaches the alluvial r.
! gion ANan the slopes of those streams tina
are t.Altary to it. and therefore the eur
| rent becomes sluggish, and as it loses 1t
! velocity sediment Is deposited in the bottom
| of the river. That process was going OF
| and our people built levees along the bank
| of the river in order to protect the peopl
! from the annual overtiows that were con
! stantly increasing from the very nature 0
| the case.
Up. to 1875 these conditions were aggra
| waited because the levees had been destroyed
during the war by the federal forces that in
vaded this country. The development o
the industries In this great northwestern
valley was very rapid at that time. 80 20,
can see that while the water was tlowins
the amount OF sand brought down by The
tributaries was constantly increasing, the
river was gradually widening and sh0aling
This was the
CONDITION OF AFFAIRS
In this state, fellow citizens, in 1875, when
had the honor. if you will permit me to refer
to myself, to take my seat as representa-
tive In the forty fourth congress from the
First district OF this state.
/ felt that the resources of the people Of
this state were not equal to the con
structiOn of the leyees on the Mississippi
river, and that if they were not built the
finest portions of the state within the par
Concordia, Tensas, Pointe Conpee. lberville
West Baton Rouge, Assumption, Terrebonne,
st. Mary and Ascension, the parish where
General Nichols was born. and other par.
1shes were subject to overflow, and the
parish in which was brought up, and where
my fathers home became
ALMOST A WILDERNESS.
Feeling that 1t was impossible for the PEG
pie of this state with their limited resources
TO raise the money to build the levees, when
l TOOK my seat in the forty fourth congress
L offered resolution, the first OF the kind
ever introduced in congress, creating stand
ing committee on the Mississippi levees.
I had formed the summer previous, In
Lexington, KY, the acquaintance OF the
speaker of the house, aud arranged with
him that should introduce this resolution,
which was adopted by the house, although
objected to by Mr.. HOar of Massachusetts,
low United States senator from that state
The speaker, Mr.. Kerr OF Indiana, ap-
pointed the committee
L have been charged with trying to
monopolize the credit for work done in
Washington, but | do not believe my
colleagues would sustain that charge. In
order to set my seli right should state that
III accordance with a
PARLIAMENTARY RULE,
whenever a gentleman offers a resolution
creating committee he Is entitled to the
Of the committee. | asked
luo SpSdhtF 10 appoint hS cudiFllldu Oh Inc
leVee committee my colleague, Mr. Ellie. and
he was appointed, and In the very next
when the jurisdiction OF this same
committee WAS extended go as TO include
not only the Mississippi levees but the
river by resolution offered by
me and adopted by the nouse, | again de-
clined the craftsmanship OF the committee
and at my request the speaker, Mr.. Randall,
appointed Hon. &. W. Robertson TO be the
Chairman of the committee.
vSf Qd IanG q q fn
make trouble between me and the friends of
ootn Mr.. Ellis and the lamented member
from the Sixth district, Colonel Robertson,
BY charging that I had sought nonors at
their expense, just as they are trying to-day
10 create dissensIons between Mr.. Jonas and
his friends and myself and mine; just as
they are trying to make The pubic believe
mat Senator Eustls, who had already served
IN the senate several years before the in
suguration of President Cleveland on terms
Or intimacy with the senators in his cabinet,
lid not have the influence with the president
ind his cabinet that ns desired because |
Implanted him by she adoption of unworthy
means. Why. these unscrupulous men know
10 little OF the president rs OF me, and 1t is
lot to the credit of Mr.. Eustis that writer's
or the press and near friends OF his should
eek to account tor any failures on his part
Vt Washington by dlsparaging his colleague
md by I'm Plicat1on the president. When l
lave any charges TO make against Mr.. EusIls
n any reproaches l Will not hesitate to make
hem direct and not through others.
Now fellow citizens,
REBEL AND DESOUSCE
he assertion. come from what quarter it
nay, that 1 was ever otherwise than fair
nd honorable and generous TO my associates
q congress from Louisiana. If / have not
cen able to help them to the influence and
distinction their friends 81 home desired or
oped for them, can say l never by word
r act sought to pull any one of them down
r to magnify myself at their expense, or to
elittle my colleague through the press
nth the president or In any manner what
YER.
But dismiss the subject and l recur to
he levees, wnere left off.
Mr.. Ellis made
AN EXCELLENT CHAIRMAN
the committee On levees. He presented |
bill appropristing *3,o0o,OGo or $1,000, 900 to |
mild levees on the Misslssippi river. | need |
OF tell you that when john Ellis makes |
peech on any subject he speaks with force |
nd elOquence.
A discussion arose on the proposition |
hether the national government had the
a the banks of the Mississippi river 10 pro-
'ct our lands from overflow. We were cnaI-
nged to point out an article of the consti- |
lt1on which would warrant the federal gov
In using the money OF the United
.ares to construct levses which would pro-
ct our property on the Mississippi river 1
)pe every gentleman will buy copy of the
or II he will write to me send
g his post office address, will send him
py of the constitution, for think every
citizen ought TO have IL and read
over about once month. IL is very i'm
'rtant document. We looked over the con- |
tuition and found that the only article we
uld STAND On is what is called the
GENERAL WELFARE CLAUSE"
hich says: 1.-The congress shall have power
levy and collect taxes, duties, imposts
I'd excuses, to pay the debts and provide
r the common defense and general welfare
the United States, but all duties, imposus
d excuses shall be uniform throughout the
Tilted States"
Now, fellow citizens, there is the power to
W and collect taxes, but it Is limited by the |
llgation to pay the deots and provide for
common defense and the general Eeltare. |
TOOK the ground that building levees on
Mississippi is providing for the general
slfare OF the United States-that this vast
rrltory, equal to the state OF Indiana in |
90. covering sixty miles on either bank of
Mississippi, should be protected and re-
slLned; that the general welfare of the
lole people of the United States was con
rned in having that country free from over
W, but our argument did not convert our
friends from Virginia, Kentucky
d other western and southern states. They |
Id, You cannot stand on the general well
'e clause. We have had great freshets in
i St&LCoy Which, OcSJTOySu III |
operty, and II you can dig up and throw up
= to protect your property from overflow,
, want yon to vote an appropriation OF
SIXTY MILLIONS
dig down the Allegheny mountains which
ng down the rains from the clouds to ,
cd our people in the IOwlands." When !
. proposition came to vote we got only =
@ third of the house. The Republicans
ted against us as they always do against
y measure to benefit the south. DO not
deceived on that score; no matter what
, measure may be, no matter how just, il I
) benefits are to 60 TO the south count the !
publican party against it. This has been r
: experience during twelve long years of !
Vice under the dome of the capitol. o. ,
,ionaliy a friend OF mine or Ellis would :
7, "Well, L will vote with you, but do
think am exactly right on the consti- !
tOn." AT all events :
WE WERE DEFEATED IL
two-thirds OF the house, and it was set